Paul Simon Announces New Album, Releases First Single, ‘Wristband’

Paul Simon has released "Wristband," a rhythmic new single, and the complete track listing for his first studio album since 2011. Stranger to Stranger, Simon's 13th solo album, is due June 3.

“Sound is the theme of this album as much as it’s about the subjects of the individual songs," Simon says in a press release. "If people get that, I’ll be pleased. The right song at the right time can live for generations. A beautiful sound – well, that’s forever.”

To achieve that sound, Simon turned to composer and inventor Harry Partch for inspiration – even traveling to a lab at Montclair State University, where Partch's collection of custom-made instruments like the Chromelodeon was housed. Clap! Clap!, the Italian producer known for blending African rhythms and EDM, collaborated on "Wristband," as well on several other songs. Stranger to Stranger, which was produced with Simon's longtime musical partner Roy Halee, was also informed by a free-form session held with Simon's percussionist and a group of flamenco musicians.

"It's about getting you to actually hear something in a new way," Simon notes. "It's about making music that sounds old and new at the same time – music with a sense of mystery."

Stranger to Stranger is the follow-up to So Beautiful or So What, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard chart, Simon's best showing since 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints. A tour in support of this new project begins later this month.